With the increasing demand for lithium, which is used in the manufacture of many electronic devices and electric cars, and in environmentally friendly industries in general, the aspirations of countries that possess important reserves of this rare metal, such as Afghanistan, increased.
In a report published by the American "modern diplomacy" website, writer Nicholas Frank Bomer said that Afghanistan is rich in natural resources, including huge supplies of lithium, and that in addition to the Taliban movement, which officially controls the country, a number of other groups are setting their sights on riches. Among them is the lithium found in Ghazni, south of the capital, Kabul, but there are other areas in Afghanistan that are rich in lithium, such as Helmand, Daykendi and Uruzgan.
The writer mentioned that foreign countries and companies are also interested in the reserves of lithium in Afghanistan, the exploitation of which offers many opportunities, but is not without obstacles.
First of all, all data on the areas where lithium reserves are located and estimates of their volume are based on Russian discoveries dating back to the mid-1980s and even British preliminary information, meaning that the data for these sites are at least 40 years old, not updated or verified Not assembled correctly, it is possible to find more reserves of lithium in other areas, as well as other rare metals.
Many of the lithium deposits in Afghanistan are located in remote areas with limited infrastructure, and to make matters worse, the wars and economic hardships that afflicted the country.
For its part, China has long been willing to launch risky projects to support strategic investments in countries like Nigeria, but it doesn't see it as worthwhile in a country like Afghanistan, and despite the Chinese's interest in lithium, they are reluctant to work in Afghanistan.
The question arises: what does Afghanistan need to attract foreign countries and companies willing to mine lithium?
To extract raw materials, a large amount of stone blocks must be transported to processing facilities that should be located close to the mines, and there must also be safe roads and good infrastructure to ensure the safety of trucks or trains coming from the mines to the processing plants and from there to the borders for export, and here Infrastructure plays a large role in accessing remote areas, where raw materials are located.
The writer explained that all these activities require a workforce, which should have housing, food, medical assistance, transportation, communications, entertainment, education and other basics.
As for mining operations, especially lithium mining, they need a lot of water, and water supply and environmentally and socially sound mining are aspects that many markets and car and truck manufacturers take into account, where mining facilities are monitored to avoid any potential disasters.
Many lithium deposits in Afghanistan are located in remote areas with limited infrastructure (Reuters)
time and trust
It takes about 7 years to build and operate a monitored lithium mining facility, and if the exploration data is questionable, two years must be added to explore the area and its resources. , that is, for decades.
To ensure that all parties benefit from the mines, the supply, transportation and sale of minerals and raw materials must continue, and all of this can only be achieved in a safe and stable environment.
In the case of Afghanistan, it is not possible to provide the required infrastructure, safety, or continuous supplies for an economically successful operation, not to mention the necessary monitoring of mining operations.
The writer pointed out that the current mining operations in Afghanistan are carried out on a small scale and are a way to sell raw materials such as lithium through secondary channels, without being restricted to market prices or asking any questions.
These channels may represent an opportunity for the "Islamic State" and other "terrorist groups", but they are certainly not a suitable option for the Afghan government in the long term, according to the author.
There is no shortage of supply
100 years ago, many expected that the oil markets would experience a peak supply, but oil companies have found more reserves in new areas around the world, and today there is more talk about a peak in oil demand that is likely to occur before the peak supply, and the same applies to Lithium Although many analysts say that there is indeed a shortage of lithium, this is not true, in fact the supply of lithium is high and the demand for it is increasing.
In the past few years, many new lithium sites have been found, many of which are easily accessible, such as Iowa reserves and the Rhine River in Europe, in many countries such as China, and in most countries in South America.
The writer emphasized that the demand for lithium is increasing with a large amount of supplies, and this means that there is no need to explore for it in remote and unstable regions such as Afghanistan.
And after lithium prices reached their highest levels in late 2018, they gradually declined and are now relatively stable.
The writer explained that the new battery models are characterized by a larger size while requiring less lithium, and in the next ten years, the process of recycling batteries will become the most important source of lithium.
All of this means that Afghanistan's lithium reserves are not a rare treasure, companies can easily obtain lithium (and other rare metals) from alternative sources, and most countries and companies are well aware of the risks involved in doing business in Afghanistan.
As a result, the author argues that China will not turn towards Afghanistan, and no other country will do so.